Humor leads to a better day...that and it's now the weekend for me.

Totally stolen from my friends blog. To see the full version go to his webpage, it's fantastic. And thanks to all the well wishers today after yesterday's gloomy post. There is hope outside these walls after all, thanks for the reminder.

527 Days

One year, five months, twelve days. This is how long it took for me to find myself leaning against the stall door of my work bathrooms crying into my sweater. One year, five months, twelve days.

Sometimes the blog is just not on your side

I had a really good post, okay maybe not really good but I was happy with it. It was all about how I went and bought a bed this weekend, and how it really is a symbolization of how I have made a commitment to Chicago and to living a life here, letting go of ideals and notions that were unrealistic, and how I managed to talk a sales guy down an extra $100. Then I did something weird and it all disappeared. So I am not going to try and recreate those sentences, I've tried that in the past and I just get frustrated when I don't come up with the same quirky twists and original plays on words.

Instead let me clarify that just because someone works at the bottom of the ladder does not mean that they enjoy being treated like they are standing at the bottom of a ladder, being used as a stepping stone for all those around them. It's frustrating, it hurts, and it makes the bottom rung want to go find a new ladder.

It's cryptic but it helps me vent.
That's all.

Ah, to be 19 again

I managed to completely regress and act like a 19 year old this weekend. It was not a planned trip back to 1999, and I didn't dress appropriately for travel, but I ended up there none the less. Friday night I drank more than I should have and finally confronted a nagging question I had regarding a possible romantic interest. While I did learn that the door was shut, and it was shut in a nice and non accusatory way, I still feel silly for not realizing the door wasn't open earlier, and I have made further shopping excursions for my favorite addiction potentially embarrassing.

Then on Saturday I decided that one night of drunken revelry was not enough and got even more intoxicated at a bowling alley during a double birthday celebration....and really what else is there to do at a bowling alley? After having a ridiculously too fun time bowling in my sneakers with a group of people I barely know (being surrounded by folks you don't have a high potential for running into again breaks down and often obliterates the ability to think rationally about ones actions....that and 4 glasses of gin helps) I found myself in the delightfully risque position of pressed up against the outside wall under the lips of the little brother of one of the actual honorees of the party (lucky for me it was not the little brother of the honoree who I know and consider a friend, that would of been entirely inappropriate). A whirlwind of encounters happened in which everyone left, I lost the boy (whose name, much to my friends delight, completely escapes me) and then wandered home in a gin soaked haze. I did manage to only walk down one wrong alley before I found my apartment (hey I just moved, give me a break!) and slipped into a dreamless slumber.

So here it is Monday morning. I have seen some of the birthday pictures, and feel pretty justified in saying that they should never, ever be posted anywhere and I need to invest in t-shirts that fit. I checked in with the friend, who assures me that she is not mad at me, and thinks the whole situation is actually quite funny and is enjoying laughing at me as I wander by hoping she will tell me the name of my Saturday night suitor (which so far she has not!). Apparently I had some lingering youth issues that I needed to exorcise this weekend, hopefully that has taken care of it and I can go back to floating through life somewhere in my late 20's where I belong.

October Books

I feel like October was a slow month for reading, though when I look back it seems there were at least 10 so I guess that's not too bad (though three are graphic novels, so do those count?)
Here they are -
Daughter of Fortune; Isabel Allende; Oct. 2007 - Sometime in the past year I read Portrait in Sepia by Allende in which the same characters are involved just later in their lives. I didn't know this when I started, but figured it out quickly enough. I really enjoy Allende's writing, though at times I get lost in the names and relations of everyone.
Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love; Bill Willingham; Oct. 2007 - Storyline is still fantastic, along with great art and witty commentary throughout.
Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm; Bill Willingham; Oct. 2007 - Storyline gets more in depth, the introduction of the characters that had to be dealt with in Vol. 1 is less so you can get more into it.
Brilliance of the Moon; Lian Hearn; Oct. 2007 - Book 3 of the Nightingale series.
Grass for His Pillow; Lian Hearn; Oct. 2007 - Book 2 of the Nightingale series.
Across the Nightingale Floor; Lian Hearn; Oct. 2007 - Was given to me by my stepmom for my birthday. It's a great story set in feudal Japan (not great with history so not sure if that is the right terminology). Adventure, intrigue, some love thrown in, all the elements you need.
Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile; Bill Willingham - Recommended by both my father and the bookstore comic book guy for when I finished the Sandman series. Basically any fairy tale/fable that you have ever heard of (and some you haven't) are living in present day NY. It's great, the art is fantastic with all kinds of little hidden (and sometimes not so hidden) details that keep your eyes on the page after the text is done. My favorite part is the high level of snarkiness from the characters.
Death - The Time of Your Life; Neil Gaiman; Oct. 2007 - Another spin off from the Sandman series.
Outlander; Diana Gabaldon; Oct. 2007 - Given to me by my stepmom for the birthday. It's advertised as a romance, and at times it gets a little graphic and intimate but in the end it boils down to a great fantasy story (fantasy as in magic not fantasy as in porn).
The Tale of One Bad Rat; Bryan Talbot; Oct. 2007 - Given to me by my father for my birthday. Now that he knows I'm back into comics I think that will be the center of the majority of our interactions. He described it to me as the book that comic book readers gave to their friends to show that comics could and are more than just guys in tights and capes. It's gritty, heartbreaking, and deals with some pretty serious shit. It was amazing. Anyone that works with kids or teenagers who have dealt with abuse might want to take a look to use it as a ice breaking tool.
The Grey King; Susan Cooper; Oct. 2007 - I think this was the last book from the Dark is Rising series I tore through last month. I lost interest by the end as it is YA reading level. To be honest, I feel like I read it so long ago I don't remember much about it. Guess I should start writing the mini reviews when I finish instead of waiting to the end of the month.

English does not equal American

Two posts in one day, yikes! Just couldn't let this one slip by without throwing my two cents in... Now I love me some tattoos, have three of them myself and am working to eventually get more if I can rake up the cash and find a new Chicago based artist (spending 4 hours on a bus with a fresh tat does not sound pleasant to me at all). Personally, branding is taking it a step too far for my own tastes, but I have always been a to each his own kinda gal. But I am getting ahead of myself and digressing from my original reason for the double post. Let me set the stage for you.

Months ago I was introduced to a website called Fark - it's basically an aggregate of entertaining headlines and note worthy news from around the world. I check it out every couple of days, though sometimes the fark intro is better than the actual article. It keeps me up to date, provides me with entertaining retelling opportunities at the bar/coffee shops, and often makes me shake my head in disbelief at what is considered acceptable writing and grammar from our journalistic friends (and before you comment on my grammar fuck ups - I'm a blog, I'm usually sneaking these in at work, and I'm allowed to suck now and then).

So today, I'm cruising through the headlines list and saw this, listed under "stupid" and I couldn't resist...

Old and busted: tattoos. New hotness among idiots: branding.
""It was an incredible experience. There was smoke coming out of my arm and my
burnt flesh smelled like a cross between chicken and bacon"

Anything with "Bacon" in the title will get my attention. The link takes me to an article from the Daily Mail, which happens to be a UK publication (knowledge which I gathered by the web address ending in .co.uk and prices in the article having the funny little euro symbol instead of the $). The article goes on to say that branding is becoming more and more popular as a form of expression now that tattoos and piercings are becoming more commonplace. Not a big deal, pretty much what I was expecting from the lead in. But then I start to read the comments and come across this -

"I thought I seen it all with the tattoos and body piercings. We as a country
must have gone off on the deep end." (Emphasis all mine)

My problem with this comment? The guy is from Casper fucking Wyoming - which means (unless there is a Casper, WY in England) this guy is writing from the good old U.S. of A.

So basically what we seem to have is 1) a European article, 2) regarding a European trend (which may or may not be happening here in the states), and 3) an American commenter automatically assuming it's all about him. I love that the Internet has opened up an eight lane super highway of information, readily available to everyone/anyone (ie those with money and time but that's a post for another day), but apparently I need to point out that just because something is written in English, does not mean it originates from America.

Home?

Last night when I went to bed, I turned off all my lights and shut the door. This might not seem very out of the ordinary for most people, but for me it was the first time since June 2006 that I had more than one light to turn off and a door to actually shut. I am officially moved into my new one bedroom apartment. It has 3 closets, 4 doors, 5 rooms, and 11 windows. It's fantastic. It's also messy, completely disorienting and utterly too quiet, but all those things will either get fixed or I will get used to. I've already hit up my new favorite grocery store and taken down an 8 oz. container of their wonderful guacamole. Unpacking is taking a little longer than I thought, I did manage to get (in the following order) enough bathroom stuff to shower and brush my teeth, my movies and most of my books out and shelved. The next few weeks will be consumed with unpacking, sorting and filling in the holes left by studio living. I think I might be quite happy in this new space...but only time will tell.